I will begin this by saying...
this got long, and its a rant..and the bottom line is the boys' pictures turned out (some better than others) and do NOT go to JCPenney portrait studio for pleasant customer service.
During the week of spring break, I thought I'd get the boys' picture taken..I take them to JCPenney's portrait studio for the cheap 3.99/sheet pictures, and its usually decent enough that I call it a win. It used to be even better when my favorite lady was working, who was so nice and knew just how to make them smile. Double win.
Well....my favorite lady doesn't work their anymore. Instead, the new crew includes a new manager, which just so happened to be the one who took our pictures. We arrived approximately 5 minutes late. Another person was finishing up their session/order, and no one else was there. I promptly started getting the rest of Isaac's outfit on (because I have learned not to dress him entirely in the outfit I'm wanting pictures in, as 45 minutes in the car is PLENTY long enough to mess up an outfit!) The lady behind the counter makes some kind of comment (there was a fan blowing by the desk, and I wasn't too focused on her...rather on my squirming 1 year old that I was getting dressed) about "I see we're running a little behind, and it looks like you're not ready yet. Let me know when you are".....and then I stopped listening because she was rattling something off. So after she stopped her nonsense, I said, "Are you talking to me?" (not rude, but truly I thought if she was still talking to me, she could probably come around from behind the desk and talk to me as I was clearly busy)
She says, "You REALLY can't hear me."
So I stop what I'm doing. Stand up, walk over to where she is, and say, "I'm sorry, no I can't. There is a fan blowing in this direction, and I was trying to finish getting him dressed. Is there something you needed me for?"
"Oh, well let me come around here then I GUESS."
She goes on to say about backgrounds, etc, reminding me that I was not on time, and I should tell her when I'm ready. (Nothing like starting off feeling like a major inconvienence).
She had the boys line up, and I know how Isaac works (as most 15 months olds do..you set them down, they're going to take off!). She tells me to put him down..and then says to get his attention and make him smile. So I do...and am doing what I know to do. He's not fussy, but he's not exactly stopping to strike a pose for her either, and she is making no efforts to get his attention. The other boys are doing perfect. She says, "If you must try and steal his attention, at least do so directly behind me so he looks at me and not you." (oh my, I get it, I really do...but that is not what you just told me to do. So I don't say a word, and I move behind her.) Next she says to Noah, "Oh, these glasses, I just can't see his eyes at all, I don't know what to do with this. Does he REALLY need to wear them? Can we just take them off for the pictures?"
I nearly lost it. Are. YOU. SERIOUS...are you serious? You can't be serious.
I simply say, "Yes, he needs those to see. He will not be taking them off."
So she proceeds to have him put his head down so far he looks ridiculous...like he's trying not to have them fall off his face.
FORTUNATELY, at this time Ben arrived. I had told him to meet me here after he finished up a job that he was doing in Wichita, just "in case" I needed help to get them to smile. Well...needless to say nearly all of these pictures below happened after he arrived, he is exceptionally gifted at being a photographer assistant. I am so glad he showed up, as I was one comment away from just saying, never mind lady..I don't think we need these pictures this bad, I'll do them myself.
Jonah, hands down surprised me the most. He did so good.
She never did stop about his glasses. It was so irritating.
So the fun didn't stop here. She gave the ridiculously long sales pitch about all the options...and I always just say, I just want a couple prints, nothing else. Finally, we get everything squared away, I pay for it, she circles the date that they will be ready and says, "Oh that's good, they'll be here in time for Easter. You can pick them up after 3 on 3/30." Great...fantastic..I just want the pictures and you can save the SUPER flaky sales pitch voice and rude comments for someone else.
Fast forward. On Good Friday 3/30, we make a trip to Tanganyika for a fun outing. Afterwards, we time it so we can drive to the opposite side of town to pick up these said pictures, as it was after 3 on 3/30. I go up to the counter, and yours truly was working. I say my name, etc....she looks, she looks some more, asks if it could be under another name, etc. Well, lets look to see when they're supposed to be in. I told her, "Well on the receipt you gave you circle 3/30, and made the comment about it being in time for Easter." She does her little computer look up, and prints off something, starts circling the paper and looks at me. "Okay, they're not due to come in until 4/6. Are you sure that's what the receipt says? Yeah, because they're not even supposed to come in until 4/6, I'm not sure why I would've said today." Pause.
"I don't know why either, but that's what the receipt said."
Of course she asked if I had it with me, and I didn't.
"Well I tell ya what (in that same flaky, condescending voice), I tell ya what I'll do, I'll give you the digital print release so you can print off the pictures you were wanting for Easter."
So I say, ok and thanks. And before I go, she says, "Yeah, you're going to want to look at that receipt, you'll want to check that date when you get home. But here I circled it for you here so you'll know when to come back."
(My body is internally screaming.) I just turned and left.
Got home....and sure enough that receipt had 3/30 on the top circled and everything, just like I said.
I went on 4/6 by golly...and my dearest favorite employee wasn't working. Her co-worker was, and although I'm sure she didn't care whatsoever, I said how VERY frustrating it had been. She gave me the 4 'extra' prints that they usually try and charge WAY too much for for free.
Needless to say, YES I got some cute pictures...but Lord have mercy, I will NOT be going to that JCP (while she is working anyway!!).
Told you it was long.
